Subject: BACKGROUND ON IRAQ BIOLOGICAL WARFARE PROGRAM  

Not Finally Evaluated Intelligence 

 

TO FACILITATE ELECTRONIC ACCESS, THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN 

REFORMATTED TO ELIMINATE INFORMATION THAT DOES NOT PERTAIN 

TO GULF WAR ILLNESS ISSUES OR THAT IS CLASSIFIED. A COPY OF 

THIS REDACTED DOCUMENT, IN ORIGINAL FORMAT, IS AVAILABLE ON 

REQUEST. 

 

3. THE THREE BIOLOGICAL AGENTS INTO WHICH IRAQ CONDUCTED 

RESEARCH CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM A TOXIN, BACILLUS ANTHRACIS 

AND CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS. THE ORGANISM CLOSTRIDIUM 

PERFRINGENS NOT ITS TOXIN, WAS USED IN RESEARCH. ALL 

RESEARCH TOOK PLACE AT SALMAN PAK BUT THE LOCATION OF THE 

PRODUCTION SITE IS UNKNOWN. IRAQ WAS PURSUING THE FOLLOWING 

AREAS OF RESEARCH IN REGARDS TO EACH AGENT: 

 

A. CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM A TOXIN: PRODUCTION OF THE 

EXOTOXIN CONCENTRATE, TO ABOUT 10 FOLDS; STORAGE EFFECT ON 

ANIMALS; AND MEANS OF APPLICATION. 

B. BACILLUS ANTHRACIS: GROWTH OF THE ORGANISM; OPTIMAL 

MEDIA AND CONDITIONS FOR SPORULATION; CONCENTRATION; 

STORAGE; AND EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS. 

C. CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS: SUITABLE MEDIA AND CONDITIONS 

 FOR SPORULATION AND EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS.  THERE WAS NO 

RESEARCH INTO TOXIN PRODUCTION. 

 

4. RESEARCH FOR IRAQ'S BW PROGRAM BEGAN AT THE IBN 

AL- HAZTHAM INSTITUTE IN BAGHDAD. WHILE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS 

HAD BEEN DEVOTED TO PROGRAM ALL EFFORTS AT THIS FACILITY 

WERE STOPPED. RESEARCH RESUMED AL-MUTHANA AND WAS LATER 

TRANSFERRED TO SALMAN PAK.  WORK ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF 

CLOSTRIDIA WAS  AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BAGHDAD 

PRODUCTION OF BW AGENTS WAS ACHIEVED IN LATE 1988                       

(IT IS BELIEVED THAT SEVERAL THOUSAND LITER OF CLOSTRIDIUM 

BOTULINUM 

TOT: 92              CIA 252025 

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A TOXIN, BACILLUS ANTHRACIS, CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS WERE 

SEPARATELY FILLED,, IN CONCENTRATED LIQUID FORM, INTO THE 

BADIR 50, A 150 - LITER AIR BOMB, AND READY FOR USE.) 

 

SINCE THE END OF THE GULF WAR, HOWEVER, PROMINENT 

PERSONALITIES WITHIN THE IRAQI BW AND CW PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN 

TRANSFERRED TO DIFFERENT JOBS. SOME ARE WORKING ON THE 

PRODUCTION OF CHLORINE WHILE OTHERS ARE NOW FOCUSING ON THE 

RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION OF PESTICIDES.